❝ it's her... ❞

―

THE SEKAI TAIKAI ORGANIZERS ARRIVED AT COBRA KAI.

Chae stood with the other Cobra Kai students as they practiced their karate skills. Silver was set on making a good impression that would leave the organizers with no choice other than to grant them entry into the Sekai Taikai. The plan to make Cobra Kai a household name was officially in motion, and getting to the Sekai Taikai was the first step.

Chae watched Silver out of the corner of her eye as he guided the organizers through the dojo. At the sound of a voice entering the dojo, Chae turned her head to see Daniel LaRusso, Johnny Lawrence, and two other people she didn't know walking in side by side. The entire dojo froze in place, watching the scene unfold in front of them.

"And who are you?"

"I'm Sensei Daniel LaRusso. Two-time All Valley champion."

"Sensei Johnny Lawrence. Also two-time champion."

"Chozen Toguchi. Master sensei."

"Amanda LaRusso, karate adjacent."

"Cobra Kai isn't the only dojo in the Valley," Daniel spoke.

"Oh, so you represent another dojo?"

"Not just any dojo," Johnny replied as Daniel nodded his head. "We have champions from the past two All Valleys."

Gunther, the spokesman for the Sekai Taikai, turned to look at Silver. "You led us to believe that your dojo had all the titles."

"Honesty isn't exactly Cobra Kai's strong suit," Daniel said. "Our dojo is truly unique. We've combined our different styles to train our students into the best fighters I've ever seen, and they deserve a shot at your tournament just as much as Cobra Kai."

Silver laughed, looking at the organizers. "My apologies for this inappropriate yet entertaining disruption. But may I remind our guests that they haven't traveled all this way to consider anyone but the very best."

"No, we have not," Gunther responded. "But now that we're here, we'll determine that for ourselves. We will see what your dojo has to offer." He turned to Daniel and Johnny. "And yours."

"We expect a comprehensive exhibition of your training methods and your students' abilities. And then we will see if either dojo is worthy of the Sekai Taikai."

"Thank you very much," Daniel replied. "You won't be disappointed."

"Well, as they say, the more, the merrier," Silver said, clapping his hands together. "May the best dojo win."

"We will," Johnny spoke up. "And when we do, I'm gonna shove that ponytail straight up your ass. You can translate that."

The four of them turned to leave, walking out of the dojo. Chae let out a breath that she hadn't realized she was holding. She watched her mother as she walked up to Silver and asked to speak with him privately in his office, leaving them with the other senseis.

Chae was distracted as she sparred with Devon and Tory. Devon couldn't contain her excitement about the Sekai Taikai.

"This thing's gonna be on TV," Devon said as she kicked the punching pads in Tory's hands. "There's corporate sponsors. We're gonna make a fortune."

"I don't think we're getting paid," Tory responded as she turned to Chae.

Chae kicked the punching bags, kicking low and then high, just as Devon had done moments before. She did four in a row before Tory turned to Devon again.

"I mean, not directly, but we're gonna be Instagram-famous," Devon replied. "Gonna get me one of those brand new partnerships. You can put yourself through college with one of those."

"I never even thought about college before," Tory said, shaking her head.

"As long as we do everything we can to make sure Cobra Kai wins," Devon told her.

Tory spaces out, staring off into the distance. Chae furrowed her eyebrows at her.

"Tory, is everything okay?" Chae asked.

Tory nodded her head. "Yeah. Don't worry about it. Devon, elevate your kicks. Aim higher."

Devon continued to kick the pads. Chae stared at Tory. There was something off about her, but Chae couldn't seem to put her finger on it. First, there was the warning that she gave to Devon about how Cobra Kai was dangerous, and then she continued to look distracted during practice. Now, she was spacing out, like there was something else on her mind.

...

The combined dojo stood in the backyard, eagerly discussing the news that the Sekai Taikai organizers were in town. The possibility of being able to compete in an international tournament had them buzzing with excitement. Decha, Hawk, Miguel, and Robby had spent hours last night sending videos back and forth to each other.

Achara walked into the dojo with the four boys, listening to their conversation.

"Did you catch that video I sent you of last year's Sekai Taikai?" Hawk asked Miguel and Decha.

"Man, who knew people could kick that high?" Miguel asked.

Robby playfully hit Hawk's arm. "Or that hard."

"Dude, seriously," Hawk mumbled.

"Guess that's why it's the biggest competition in the world," Sam said as she walked up to the group alongside Chris and Mitch.

Sam glanced at Achara, lifting her hand up to do a small wave as she smiled. Achara smiled back at her, but then immediately looked away.

"I heard last year's winners did a big car commercial in Taiwan," Hawk told them.

"Dude, imagine being in a commercial," Mitch mused. "What would you do with all that money?"

"Buy a yacht with a hot tub," Chris chimed in. "Fill it up with Smarties and hotties."

Chris did a little dance as he spoke, causing the others to laugh.

"All right, all right," Daniel said as he entered the backyard. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, all right? Remember, Cobra Kai is gonna do everything they can to get a spot. And if they win this time, kids all over the world are gonna have to deal with the same kind of crap you guys have gone through."

"But if we win, we can show the world how to stop them," Sam said.

"First, you must prove you can compete with best," Chozen spoke.

"But in order to do that, you have to be better than the best," Johnny added. "Which is why we're gonna kick your asses into high gear."

"Sensei Lawrence, Sensei Toguchi, and I are gonna get you ready for the presentation tomorrow," Daniel told them. "So come on. Let's get warmed up."

"Go! Move those asses!" Johnny shouted.

────────────

Chae stood in the dojo the next day, waiting for the Sekai Taikai board members to arrive for the presentation. Chae had spent the entire night trying to perfect the routine she was going to do. Her mother had stayed by her side the whole time, picking out each and every flaw and shouting at her when she made a mistake. By the end of the night, Chae was tired, and she wanted nothing more than to go to bed. But she was too nervous to sleep.

Chae yawned as she stood on the mat, waiting for her turn to impress the board.

"At Cobra Kai, we don't believe in baby steps," Silver told the Sakai Taikai organizers. "We throw our students straight into the fire. Kenny Payne. Only started training with us this year. Now look at him..."

Kenny punched and kicked the boards that the other master senseis held in their hands. Chae had to admit that, for someone who was still relatively new to karate, he was skilled and experienced for a newcomer.

Next, it was Kyler's turn to show off the new technology. Chae didn't think she had ever seen anyone in the dojo actually use it before. It seemed like Silver was doing anything he could to impress the organizers.

After Kyler, it was Chae's turn.

"Kim Chae-Rin," Silver introduced her. "She's trained for years under my fellow sensei and her mother, Kim Da-Eun."

"Sijak!"

Chae bowed to her mother and then began her routine. She started off with basic punches and kicks. She could feel her mother's eyes on her, watching her carefully.

Chae took a deep breath. It was time for the moment that took her hours to perfect. She could hear all of her mother's harsh criticisms playing over and over in her head like a broken record.

You've got this, Chae, she thought, trying to block out the sound of her mother's voice as it echoed in her head. You can do it.

Chae took a step forward with her left foot and pivoted before doing a 360-degree turn and lifting her back knee, chambering it forward. She jumped up off her support leg, her body turning in the air as she extended her leg forward onto a hook kick. She landed, her feet touching the mat effortlessly.

She looked at the Sekai Taikai board to see their reactions, cracking a small smile when she saw the impressed looks on their faces. Chae turned her head to the side to get a glimpse of her mother's face. Her smile quickly faded when she saw the cold, emotionless expression on her face. Chae had nailed the 540-degree hook kick, and yet her mother couldn't even give her a simple nod of approval.

Chae felt like crying, but she didn't. She couldn't. Her mother always told her that crying was a sign of weakness. "There is no crying in Tang Soo Do. If you want to be a master of the Way of the Fist, you must not cry. Do you understand, Chae-Rin?"

...

Achara stood on the sparring deck at Miyagi-Do, waiting for her turn to show off her fusion arts skills to the Sekai Taikai organizers. Although it was the same routine that she had done at All Valley, she had stayed up all night long, making sure that it was flawless. There was no room for mistakes if she wanted to impress them.

But first, Daniel and Johnny took them through the dojo as they showed them what made their dojo unique. She turned her head to the deck, where Decha stood with Miguel, Hawk, and Robby. The four boys were doing what was known as the screaming eagle. They were perfectly in sync with each other. Decha turned to Achara. She gave him a thumbs-up.

Daniel and Johnny guided the organizers towards the sparring deck.

"Achara Tiredsarat," Johnny introduced her. "Female All Valley Champion."

"Thirasawat," Daniel corrected. "Achara brings an extra special touch to the dojo by doing what's known as fusion arts, combining karate with ballet."

Daniel gave her a nod, signaling for her to begin. She started off doing basic ballet spins and movements, moving around the sparring deck gracefully. She moved onto doing kata, making sure every single movement was as sharp as it could be as she fused ballet spins into her movements.

She jumped up, doing the splits mid-air, before landing on her feet and getting into her fighting stance. Achara punched the air and spun around on the balls of her feet as she extended her leg to the side and kicked.

Achara leaped forward with her right foot and leaned forward so that she could swing her left leg through the air. She lifted her other foot, allowing both of her legs to soar through the air as she flipped and landed perfectly on her feet.

Achara bowed, placing her hands at her sides.

"Pretty damn cool, huh?" Johnny asked as he nudged Gunther, the spokesman, in the arm. "I taught her everything she knows."

Daniel rolled his eyes at him before he guided them to another part of the backyard. All of the students came together to show off their skills.

After Sam and Robby stood on the circular board in the middle of the Koi pond, they went to the Eagle Fang warehouse to showcase the other side of the dojo. Achara and Sam stood in front of watermelons attached to chains.

"There's no fancy crap here," Johnny said as Sam and Achara kicked the watermelon in sync. "Our dojo is old school. We don't spoil our students. We make 'em earn things the hard way."

Sam yelled as she kicked one of the watermelons.

"You call that a kick?" Johnny asked. "Harder!"

Sam turned to Achara. The two shared a moment before they took a fighting stance and looked down at the watermelons in front of them. Together, they raised their legs and kicked the watermelons. They both burst on impact, sending chunks of watermelon flying towards Gunther.

Achara and Sam froze, panic taking over their faces. The other students gasped in the background.

"Uh, hey, look, man, I'm sure this probably all seems weird to you, but sometimes you have to train outside the box to get to another level." Johnny tried to ease the situation. "You know, some people use the latest high-tech junk to get there, and some people need to run up a mountain in the snow and yell."

"Drago!" Gunther yelled, his voice echoing through the warehouse.

Achara furrowed her eyebrows and turned her head to look at Sam. Sam turned her head with the same confused expression on her face. The entire warehouse was dead silent; not a single word came from anyone's mouth.

"Rocky Balboa is my hero," Gunther said, breaking the silence.

"No shit! Mine too," Johnny responded.

"His victory over Russia effectively restored my fractured homeland."

Johnny nodded. "You get it."

"I do. Show me more."

Confusion spreading across her face even more, Achara looked over her shoulder at Decha. "Alai?" she mouthed to him. Decha shrugged his shoulders in response.

────────────

Chae stared down at the floor. Cobra Kai and the combined dojos of Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang were going to compete for a spot in the Sekai Taikai. Her heart was pounding so fast in her chest that it was hurting. All she could do was imagine the hurt look on Eli's face when he realized that she was in Cobra Kai. Chae wasn't sure that she could handle it.

"We have to prepare to fight," Silver said as he paced in front of the mat. "This is bigger than the All Valley. Much bigger. So we need our best. Nichols."

Chae's breath hitched. Part of her felt grateful that she wouldn't have to be the one to fight, but the other part felt disappointed. Tory was a skilled fighter; there was no denying that. But there was doubt that Chae was a much better fighter than she was. Anyone in the dojo could see that.

"You ready?" Silver asked.

Tory nodded her head. "Yes, Sensei."

Chae felt a tap on her arm. She turned her head to the side, looking at Devon.

"I thought for sure they'd pick you," Devon whispered.

Chae ignored her and turned her head to face the front of the dojo. She glanced down, continuing to stare at the mat below her feet.

"Payne," Silver said, walking over to Kenny. "You ready to take on whomever they pick as their top fighter?"

"Yes, Sensei," Kenny replied.

"You better be," Silver told him. "Because the fate of this dojo rests in your fists."

...

The combined dojo was gathered at the LaRusso house, having a pizza party. Decha sat on the couch in the living room with Miguel, Hawk, and Robby. Johnny sat across from them as they prepared to tell them who they were choosing as their male fighter for the competition against Cobra Kai.

Achara had already been chosen as the female fighter after a tossup between her and Sam. Although Sam had wanted to be the one to fight, she was more than happy that Achara was the one chosen.

"All right, boys, we have a choice to make, and it's not gonna be easy," Johnny told them. "You're all badass fighters, but only one of you can get on the mat tomorrow."

The four boys nodded their heads.

"All right, Hawk's the current All Valley champ," Johnny said and then turned to Decha, "but it could have gone either way. Diaz is last year's champ. That could have gone either way, too. Even though Hawk injured Robby in the semis, Hawk didn't have to fight in the semis this year because Diaz booked it to Mexico."

Johnny sighed. "Point being, you're all deserving. LaRusso, Chozen, and I are having a hard time deciding which one of you should go up against Cobra Kai tomorrow. Maybe we should just flip a coin."

The boys shared a look of confusion.

"How would we flip a coin?" Hawk asked.

Miguel shook his head. "Okay, we don't need to flip any coins. We actually already made up our minds."

"Yeah." Robby nodded. "We talked about it, and there's only one choice."

Decha looked between the three boys, confused as to what conversation they were referring to.

"It should be Decha," Hawk chimed in.

"Wait, what?" Decha asked, looking back and forth at his three friends.

Robby turned to look at his father. "He beat me fair and square."

"We went into overtime in the finals; the point easily could have been his," Hawk recalled.

"And I bowed out at the last tournament," Miguel said before looking at Decha. "He deserves to represent us."

Decha smiled at them, unable to believe it. "Wow. I don't even know what to say. Thank you, guys. I'm up for the challenge. I promise not to let you down."

"All right," Johnny nodded at him. "We'll train tonight."

"What about Achara?" Miguel asked. "Where's she?"

"She's at Miyagi-Do with Sam, Sensei LaRusso, and Sensei Toguchi," Decha told him. "They're helping her train."

...

Achara stood in between Daniel and Chozen, kicking the training pads that they held in their hands back and forth. Sam stood off to the side, watching with a smile on her face.

"Good. Looking unbeatable," Daniel said as he lowered the training pad. "All right, let's not overdo it. That's enough for tonight."

"Are you sure?" Achara asked, glancing between the two senseis. "I can do it again."

"Must rest," Chozen told her. "Save for tomorrow. Hm?"

Achara nodded her head, choosing to listen to them. She walked over to her backpack and grabbed her water bottle. As she took a drink, Daniel walked up to her.

"Achara, don't worry, you're sharper than ever. Okay?" Daniel assured her. "The student is surpassing the teacher here. You got this. Tory won't know what hit her."

Achara smiled at him. "Thanks, Mr. LaRusso. I really couldn't be more honored to represent Eagle Fang and Miyagi-Do. Thank you so much for giving me the chance to prove myself."

Daniel nodded his head. "It's our honor to finally have you on our team. But remember, you have to fight for yourself too. Now, why don't you and Sam go on? You're missing the pizza party. We'll see you there."

Achara smiled, nodding her head before she bowed in front of them. She turned on her heels and reached down to grab her backpack. Sam did the same, and the two girls walked out of the backyard side by side.

"Are you sure you're not mad that I'm the one fighting tomorrow instead of you?" Achara asked, turning to look at Sam. "I mean, you have been apart of the dojo for way longer than I have. I wouldn't want you to feel like I took it from you."

"Are you kidding?" Sam chuckled. "I couldn't think of a more deserving person."

Achara grinned at her. "You really think so?"

"Of course I do." Sam nodded. "You deserve to represent us, Chara, and you beat Tory once before. You can do it again."

Achara glanced down at the ground as she walked. The two girls stopped in front of their cars.

"See you at my house?" Sam asked.

Achara nodded. "Yeah. See you there."

Sam smiled at her one last time before she waved. They went their separate ways, getting into their respective cars. Achara waited for Sam to pull out of the dirt road before she placed her head in her hands and groaned. Achara puffed up her cheeks, and then blew the air out before she placed her hands on the steering wheel.

────────────

Daniel and Johnny led the students into the new Cobra Kai location. Achara and Decha followed directly behind them, glancing around the dojo in shock. They had all of the newest and most state-of-the-art equipment. Decha lightly nudged Achara in the arm and then pointed towards the smoothie bar.

The fellow teammates were just as shocked as they were as they all murmured about the dojo. Achara and Decha stood in front of the mat and began stretching before the fights began. Hawk stood next to them, sporting a green mohawk. He looked down at the twins and opened his mouth to speak.

"Hey, Dech, it looks like you're going up against Kenny," Hawk told him. "You've got this in the bag, dude. Not a single doubt in my mi—"

Hawk stopped mid-word, causing the twins to stop stretching and look up at him. He stared straight ahead, his mouth hanging slightly agape. His eyes seemed to gloss over.

"Hawk?" Decha asked as he stood up. "What's wrong?"

Decha turned his head, looking in the direction where Hawk stared. At first, he didn't see anything. Achara rose to her feet, nudging Decha with her elbow. When he turned her head, she furrowed her eyebrows at him to ask what Hawk was looking at.

Decha shrugged his shoulders, turning his head back to Hawk. "Hawk? Is everything okay?"

"It's her..." Hawk spoke softly. "She's—she's in...it's her."

"Who?" Decha asked, looking around the room but not seeing anyone.

Achara gasped from beside him. Decha turned his head quickly and faced her.

"What?" Decha asked.

Achara pointed across from them. "There. Do you see her? Standing in the very back."

Decha's eyes followed where Achara's finger pointed. At first, he wasn't sure who he was supposed to be looking at. He didn't see anyone that they didn't already know was a member of Cobra Kai. But then, as the two people who stood in front of her moved, Decha realized exactly who Hawk was talking about.

"Holy shit!" Decha exclaimed. "Is that Water Park Girl?"

The twins turned their heads simultaneously to look at Hawk. He continued to stare straight ahead; a look of betrayal had washed over his face. The initial shock of seeing Chae was over. Hawk's breath hitched, and for a brief moment, he stopped breathing as Chae finally made eye contact with him.

Chae had tried her hardest to remain hidden. She made sure to stand behind the tallest members of Cobra Kai, ensuring that she moved every time they did to avoid being seen. She knew that eventually the moment would come where she would come face-to-face with Eli, but she didn't count on it being so soon.

The second she caught a glimpse of the expression on his face, Chae could have sworn her heart shattered into a million tiny pieces. She could feel her tears welling up with tears. She knew that once the truth was revealed, it would hurt, but nothing could have prepared her for the look of pure hopelessness and betrayal that was written all over his face.

"Is that a tear I see?"

Chae turned her head away from Eli at the sound of her mother's voice. Chae quickly wiped her face. "No, Sensei."

Kim Da-Eun tutored her head in the direction that Chae had been looking. "Don't tell me you have fallen for that American boy."

Chae's breath hitched, but she shook her head. "Of course not, Sensei. It was all part of the plan, remember? Get to know them and betray their trust, right?"

Da-Eun gave her daughter a suspicious look. "I trust that this boy won't get in the way of claiming a spot in the Sekai Taikai."

Chae's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "Why would he get in the way? Tory's the one that's fighting against Achara."

Da-Eun turned her body toward her. "You didn't seriously believe that Nichols was going to guarantee our victory, did you?"

Chae's confusion was only enhanced even more. But then the realization hit her. Choosing Tory was a ploy in a predetermined game where Tory was merely the pawn and Chae was the secret weapon.

Chae watched as her mother walked away from her to talk to the Sekai Taikai organizers. Chae faced Eli once more, wanting nothing more than to march across the mat and explain everything, but she couldn't.

"Time to begin. Decha Thirasawat and Kenny Payne, please take the mat."

— EMILIA'S NOTES

and i'm ending it there because i'm evil. you should know that by now. no but in all seriousness, i just didn't want this chapter to be too long.

but how are we feeling after eli/hawk learned the truth? also chae referring to him as eli when it's her pov vs hawk when it's achara and decha's pov...i'm soft

and oh? you thought kwon in season 6 was the only one who can do a 540-degree hook kick? think again!!

also i decided to give achara's therapist, olivia, a last name. i just called her olivia because in some therapists have you call them by their first name because it created a more informal and personal relationship to build trust. but that's not always the case for some therapists. anwyay, i didn't like just having her be "olivia" in the cast list so i gave her the last name mendoza :)

also had to rewrite this chapter because my internet connection crashed and it didn't save but i tried my best.

alternative chapter title: thirasawat twins on top!!